This year, a much-needed change came to college football: a 12-team playoff. This change from a four-team playoff not only gives the teams a chance to play in the playoffs with multiple losses, but it allows teams to show their strengths, even if they are not in the most competitive conference or have the hardest schedule. With the chance to stay in playoff contention, many of these teams have the drive to battle until the last second of their season. This playoff not only allows for 12 teams, but it truly shows the diversity from teams all across the country. It also better displays a wide variety of conferences and levels of play during the college football playoff.
When it comes to the College Football Playoff (CFP), it was previously thought to only feature the four best teams in the country. However, in past years, Florida State University got knocked out despite being 13-0. Along with that, there were several close calls with the four-team playoff, leading many to believe that expanding the playoff was absolutely necessary. “I think it’s essential. College football is going in the direction that it needed to go a while ago…. It really is the path that college football always wanted to take. It gives everyone a shot, which is a much-needed change for college football,” stated senior Declan Forfest. Forrest also commented that allowing 12 teams in the playoffs would create Cinderella, rag-to-riches stories like in March Madness and the NCAA Basketball.
Southeastern Conference (SEC) bias has always been a factor in who makes the playoffs. This has been proven over the past years, when SEC teams make the playoffs over teams who have better records and have beaten better opponents. SEC bias is the thought that because teams are in the SEC, they have a harder schedule, and therefore should be more likely to make the CFP over teams that do not play as difficult of opponents or have the same level of competition. Now, with the expansion to a 12-team playoff, teams like Southern Methodist University have the opportunity to compete, even though they do not have the hardest schedule. This has resulted in their overwhelming success throughout their regular season and overall record.
With all of these factors in place, this change was essential for the future of college football. After teams lose two games, they normally have no chance to make the CFP, so you would see the level of play drop. Now, this change gives teams a reason to fight all the way to the last moments of their season.